Deltamarin has signed an agreement with China Merchants Industry (Jiangsu) for the design and engineering of the new series of Höegh Autoliners Aurora Class Pure Car and Truck Carriers (PCTCs).
Deltamarin recently completed the conceptual design of the ships for Höegh Autoliners. The engineering contract signed with the builder, CMI Jiangsu shipyard, is a direct continuation of this work and includes complete basic and detail design of the vessels.
The Aurora class ships will be the largest and most environmentally friendly car carriers ever built. The ships will be powered by MGO and LNG and prepared with readiness for operation on zero carbon fuels such as ammonia or methanol once these become more widely available. Several other features are included in the design to minimise the environmental footprint of the ships. Combining economy of scale with an optimised and future-proofed ship concept results in the lowest greenhouse gas footprint per transported car in the industry, offering a path to zero-emission operation.
The new vessels will be built at the China Merchants Industry (Jiangsu) shipyard in Haimen. China Merchants Group has been expanding its shipbuilding business over the past years and is now within the three largest shipbuilding groups in China. The engineering work will be carried out at Deltamarin’s offices in Finland, Poland and China and will have a significant impact on Deltamarin Group’s workload. The project starts immediately and continues until the delivery of the first vessel in the second half of 2024.
Janne Uotila, CEO Deltamarin said: “We at Deltamarin are very pleased with the contract for two main reasons. Firstly, we are proud that Höegh Autoliners trusts our ability to support them in renewing their fleet and enabling their path towards zero emission operations. Secondly, we look forward to further developing the cooperation with CMI Jiangsu shipyard, providing them with engineering services and supporting them in the execution of this industry-leading newbuild programme of Höegh Autoliners.”
